For example, let’s say you catch up on a game on Steam and find out that people are playing an open beta of a new version of the game and you want to be a part of it, too. Or maybe you’ve got your hands on a passkey to a Steam beta of the game and need to know how to use it. Well, opting for betas on Steam is actually quite simple and can be done in just a few simple steps. It’s also worth noting that if you need to disable it and get the game back to normal, you can opt out of a beta by following the same steps.
- Find the game that you want to sign up for beta in your Steam library
- Click on the gear labeled “Manage”
- Click the Properties tab
- Navigate to the Betas tab
- (If the beta is public) Click the drop-down bar and just select the beta you want
- (If the beta requires a key) Enter a valid beta key and then select the newly unlocked beta
- The beta will automatically install and you’re done
Accessing new features early in a game can be a pretty fun thing to do, but it’s always a good idea to remember that these are beta features and may not work as smoothly as they would when the update was fully released . In fact, you should expect some bugs here and there, but you can always do the developers a favor and report the bug when they have implemented the appropriate facilities. This can really help improve the full experience once the features get out of beta. But with that in mind, have fun playing around with some early access features in games that have betas on Steam.